Backstrap for draft animals



J. E. SMITH BAcKsTRAP FOR DRAFT ANIMALS Dec. 1 1925.

Filed July 9, 1925 Patented Dec. 1, 1925.

JOHN E. SMITH, OF FREMONT, NORTH CAROLINA.

BACKSTRAP FOR DRAFT ANIMALS.

Application filed. July 9, 1925.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN E. SMITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fre mont, in the county of Wayne and State of 6 North Carolina, have invented new and useful lm arovements in a Backstrap for Draft Animals, of which the following is a speciiication.

This invention relates to a harness for draft animals and has particular reference to a back strap for holding the traces in proper position.

It has been proposed heretofore to use a back strap on draft animals in which spaced bearing blocks, preferably of wood, are utilized to support the elements comprising the back strap. This type of back strap has proved extremely popular, due chiefly to the fact that it does not produce sores or burns upon the animal such as are commonly caused by a back strap of the web or padded type. A block-type back strap permits the free circulations of air beneath the bearing blocks, thereby tending toreduce the frictional heat at these points and as a consequence eliminate the production of sores and burns.

lVhile back straps of the block type possess many recognized advantages over the back straps of the web or padded types, such back straps possess certain well-known practical disadvantages which decrease the potential efficiency in the use thereof. Foremost among these disadvantages is that the trace engaging element on the bearing bloc-ks has been of such a construction as to permit entanglement with the traces on an adjacent animal when a team is employed, thereby requiring frequent attention of the driver in untangling the traces as well as occasionally producing injury to the animals.

A further disadvantage of previously known back straps of the block type resides in the ease with which the various elements become separated during use, it being a common occurrence for the elements to fall apart at inopportune moments during service. A general object of the present invention is to eliminate the disadvanta 'es mentioned and to provide an improved back strap of the block bearing type.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a novel back strap in which the parts are so connected as to pre- Serial No. 42,384.

vent the accidental separation thereof. regardless of the nature of the strains placed thereon.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of novel means for connect ing the back strap with the traces and which eliminates the danger of entanglement between adjacent traces when the back straps are used upon pairs of animals.

These and other features of this invention will appear more fully from the following detailed description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings and will be specifically pointed out in the claims. 7

In the drawings:

Figure l is a perspective View of a back strap in position upon a draft animal,

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of the device;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation; and

Fig. 4: is a section through one of the bearing blocks.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, 2 indicates a strap formed of metal or similar material, the strap being generally. V-shaped in order to straddle the back of the draft animal in the usual manner. The strap 2 is secured to the upper faces of hearing blocks 4 by means of bolts 6, which pass through the bearing blocks, there being openings provided with centrally arranged bores for receiving the bolts 6, and the. bottom faces of the blocks are provided with count-ersunk recesses 8 within which the heads 10 of the bolts are seated.

Carried by each bearing block 4 is a snap hook 12 which is formed at one end with an eyelet 14, and at the opposite end with a snap fastener 16. Each bolt 6 extends through the opening provided in the lower 'end of the strap 2, and through the eyelet of the snap hook, the parts being retained upon the bolt by means of a nut 18.-

From the above described construction, it will be evident that the, back strap, the. snap bolt and the bearingblock are connected together by a single means and may be readily assembled or disassembled to permit substitution or replacement by unscrewing the nut 18 and withdrawing the bolt 6.:

Below the bearing blocks 4 are additional bearing blocks 20, similar in construction and function to the upper blocks. The lower blocks are connected to the upper bearing blocks by means of flexible chains;-v

22, the upper ends of the chains being en gaged by the snap hooks 12, while the lower ends of the chains are connected to the lower bearing blocks by means of bolts 24, similar to the bolts 6 of the upper bearing blocks. The upper and lower bearing blocks may be adjusted relative to each other by varying the length of the chains 22 in a manner clearly understood.

Mounted upon the bolts 24 in the lower bearing blocks are snap hooks 26 provided with fastening elements 28, adapted to snap over the traces 30 of the harness in the man ner illustrated in Figure 1. The snap hooks 26 fasten the traces to the back strap in a reliable manner and at the same time do not present any projections or abutments on which the traces of an adjacent animal can become entangled.

The lower bearing blocks 20 carry rein guides 82 through which the reins 84 of the harness are adapted to extend in the manner shown in Figure 1. The rein guides are preferably formed from a flexible leather strap bent in the form of a loop and are provided with openings through which the bolts 24 extend. The snap hooks 26, rein guides '32, are retained on the bolts 24 by means of the nuts 36.

The improved back strap herein disclosed consists of a minimum number of parts which may be quickly assembled by an inexperienced farm-hand. The snap hooks 12 securely connect the parts of the back strap together and eliminate the danger of the parts accidentally falling apart. The ease in which adjustment of the bearing blocks can be effected and the reliability of the connections are marked improvements over back straps of this type heretofore in use.

Having described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A back strap for draft animals comprising a V-shaped metallic strap adapted to straddle the back of an animal, bearing blocks adjacent each end of the back strap, a snap hook secured to each bearing block, lower bearings blocks, flexible adjustable connections between the lower bearing blocks and the first-mentioned blocks, the said flexible connections being secured to first-mentioned blocks by the snap hooks, and snap hooks on the lower bearing blocks adapted to engage the traces of the harness.

2. A back strap for draft animals. comprising a V-shaped metallic strap adapted to straddle the back of an animal, bearing blocks adjacent each end of the back strap, a snap fastener mounted upon each of said bearing blocks, a single means for securing each snap fastener and one end of the back strap to each block, lower bearing blocks, flexible connections between the lower hearingblocks and the upper bearing blocks,

said connections being engaged at one end by the snap hooks on the first-mentioned bearing blocks, snap fasteners mounted upon the lower bearing blocks adapted to engage the traces of the harness, and a single means for connecting the lower ends of the flexible connections and snap fasteners to the lower bearing blocks.

8. A back strap for draft animals comprising a V-shaped metallic strap adapted to straddle the back of a draft animal, hearing blocks adjacent each end of the back strap, each bearing block having a countersunk recess in the bottom face thereof, a snap fastener mounted on each bearing block, a bolt for connecting the lower end of the back strap and the snap fastener to each of said bearing blocks, the head of said bolt being received within the countersunk recess, lower bearing blocks, chains between the lower bearing blocks and the first mentioned bearing blocks, the upper ends of the chain being engaged by the snap fasteners on the first mentioned bearing blocks, snap fasteners secured to the lower bearing blocks adapted to engage the traces of the harness, and bolts extending through the lower bearing blocks and adapted to connect the lower ends of the chains and the trace engaging fasteners to the lower bearing blocks.

4. A back strap for draft animals comprising a V-shaped metallic strap adapted to straddle the back of the animal, said strap having an opening adjacent each end there of, a wooden bearing block adjacent each end of the back strap, each bearing block having a counter-sunk recess in the bottom face thereof, a snap hook mounted on each bearing block, said hook having an eyelet on one end thereof and a snap fastener on the opposite end, means for securing one end of the black strap and one of the snap fasteners to each of the bearing blocks, said securing means comprising a bolt extending through each bearing block, the head of said bolt being received in the countersunk recess of the block, said bolt projecting beyond the upper face of the bearing block and through the opening in the lower end of the back strap and the eyelet of the snap fastener, a nut upon the outer end of said bolt, lower bearing blocks, chains connecting the lower bearing blocks to the first mentioned bearing blocks, the upper ends of said chains being engaged by the snap hooks carried by the first mentioned bearing blocks, snap hooks carried by the lower bearing blocks adapted to engage the traces of the harness, and bolts extending through the lower bearing blocks for connecting the trace engaging snap hooks and the lower ends of the chains to the lower bearing blocks.

5. A back strap for draft animals,.comprising a V-shaped metallic strap adapted to straddle the back of an animal. said strap having an opening adjacent each end there of, a wooden bearing block adjacent each end of the back strap, each bearing block having a counter-sunk recess on the bottom face thereof, a snap hook mounted upon each bearing block, said hook having an eyelet on one end thereof and asnap fastener on the opposite end, a bolt extending through each bearing block, the heads of said bolts being received in the countersunk recesses of the blocks, the said bolts projecting beyond the upper faces of the bearing blocks, and through the eyelet-s on the snap hooks and the openings on the back strap, nuts on the ends of the bolts for retaining the snap hooks and the lower ends of the back strap to the bearing blocks, lower wooden bearing blocks, each bearing block having a countersunk recess in the bottom face thereof, bolts extending through the lower bearing blocks and having the heads thereof received within the countersunk recesses, the ends of said bolts projecting beyond the upper faces of the lower bearing blocks, flexible chains con necting the lower bearing blocks and the first mentioned blocks, the upper ends of said chains being engaged by the snap fasteners carried by the first mentioned blocks, the lower ends of the chains being secured to the lower bearing blocks by means of the bolts therein, snap hooks secured to the lower bearing blocks by said bolts and adapted to engage the traces of the harness, and rein guides secured to the lower bearing blocks, said rein guides comprising flexible loops.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

JOHN E. SMITH. 

